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2002 Computer Science Unplugged (www.unplugged.canterbury.ac.nz)
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So, you thought you knew how to count? Well, here is a new way to do it!
Did you know that computers use only zero and one? Everything that you see or
hear on the computerwords, pictures, numbers, movies and even sound is
stored using just those two numbers! These activities will teach you how to send
secret messages to your friends using exactly the same method as a computer.
:1%(#4+(,"1%
Cut out the cards on your sheet and lay them out with the 16-dot card on the left
as shown here:

Make sure the cards are placed in exactly the same order.
Now flip the cards so exactly 5 dots showkeep your cards in the same order!

Find out how to get 3, 12, 19. Is there more than one way to get any number?
What is the biggest number you can make? What is the smallest? Is there any
number you cant make between the smallest and biggest numbers?
Extra for Experts: Try making the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 in order. Can you work out a
logical and reliable method of flipping the cards to increase any number by one?
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2005 Computer Science Unplugged (www.unplugged.canterbury.ac.nz)
Photocopy Master: Binary Numbers

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2002 Computer Science Unplugged (www.unplugged.canterbury.ac.nz)
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The binary system uses zero and one to represent whether a card is face up or
not. 0 shows that a card is hidden, and 1 means that you can see the dots. For
example:

Can you work out what 10101 is? What about 11111?
What day of the month were you born? Write it in binary. Find out what your
friends birthdays are in binary.
;#. (" 9"#$ "4( (&'%' +"<'< 1456'#%/

Extra for Experts: Using a set of rods of length 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 units show how you
can make any length up to 31 units. Or you could surprise an adult and show them
how they only need a balance scale and a few weights to be able to weigh those heavy
things like suitcases or boxes!
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2005 Computer Science Unplugged (www.unplugged.canterbury.ac.nz)
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Tom is trapped on the top floor of a department store. Its just before Christmas
and he wants to get home with his presents. What can he do? He has tried
calling, even yelling, but there is no one around. Across the street he can see
some computer person still working away late into the night. How could he
attract her attention? Tom looks around to see what he could use. Then he has a
brilliant ideahe can use the Christmas tree lights to send her a message! He
finds all the lights and plugs them in so he can turn them on and off. He uses a
simple binary code, which he knows the woman across the street is sure to
understand. Can you work it out?





? @ A B C D E F G ?H ?? ?@ ?A
2 6 + < ' I 8 & , J $ K 5
?B ?C ?D ?E ?F ?G @H @? @@ @A @B @C @D
1 " L M # % ( 4 - 9 N . O

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2002 Computer Science Unplugged (www.unplugged.canterbury.ac.nz)
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1. Another interesting property of binary numbers is what happens when a zero is
put on the right hand side of the number. If we are working in base 10 (decimal),
when you put a zero on the right hand side of the number, it is multiplied by 10.
For example, 9 becomes 90, 30 becomes 300.
But what happens when you put a 0 on the right of a binary number? Try this:
?HH? ?HH?H
(9) (?)
Make up some others to test your hypothesis. What is the rule? Why do you
think this happens?
2. Each of the cards we have used so far represents a bit on the computer (bit is
short for binary digit). So our alphabet code we have used so far can be
represented using just five cards, or bits. However a computer has to know
whether letters are capitals or not, and also recognise digits, punctuation and
special symbols such as $ or ~.
Go and look at a keyboard and work out how many characters a computer has to
represent. So how many bits does a computer need to store all the characters?
Most computers today use a representation called ASCII (American Standard
Code for Information Interchange), which is based on using this number of bits
per character, but some non-English speaking countries have to use longer
codes.
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2005 Computer Science Unplugged (www.unplugged.canterbury.ac.nz)
Whats it all about?
Computers today use the binary system to represent information. It is called binary
because only two different digits are used. It is also known as base two (humans normally
use base 10). Each zero or one is called a bit (binary digit). A bit is usually represented in
a computers main memory by a transistor that is switched on or off, or a capacitor that is
charged or discharged.

When data must be transmitted over a telephone line or radio link, high and low-pitched
tones are used for the ones and zeros. On magnetic disks (floppy disks and hard disks)
and tapes, bits are represented by the direction of a magnetic field on a coated surface,
either North-South or South-North.

Audio CDs, CD-ROMs and DVDs store bits opticallythe part of the surface
corresponding to a bit either does or does not reflect light.

One bit on its own cant represent much, so they are usually grouped together in groups
of eight, which can represent numbers from 0 to 255. A group of eight bits is called a
byte.
The speed of a computer depends on the number of bits it can process at once. For
example, a 32-bit computer can process 32-bit numbers in one operation, while a 16-bit
computer must break 32-bit numbers down into smaller pieces, making it slower.
Ultimately bits and bytes are all that a computer uses to store and transmit numbers, text,
and all other information. In some of the later activities we will see how other kinds of
information can be represented on a computer.